Online creators and digital entrepreneurs are making more money, but getting paid is still a problem. Cross-border payments take a long time, fees can be high, and access to good financial tools often depends on where you live. Traditional payment systems aren’t suited for people running global businesses from their laptops.
That gap is where Tether sees opportunity. As a result, the investment arm of Tether announced a $200 million investment in Whop, a large internet marketplace where users can create, sell and buy digital products and services in one place.
“Stablecoins and wallets become most powerful when they are embedded directly into people’s lives, supporting their businesses, activities, families, and individual stories,” said Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether. “Our investment in Whop proudly reflects Tether’s focus on supporting real economic activity by providing efficient digital dollar and wallet infrastructure that can scale to billions of people, across every continent. By integrating Tether’s Wallet Development Kit, WDK, Whop can offer users faster global payments and more reliable financial tools, driving growth, individual, family, and community self-sufficiency, and financial inclusion. Whop is the future of the Internet Markets?”
What does Whop do?
Whop operates as a digital marketplace connecting creators and consumers. It currently supports more than 18.4 million users. According to company figures, platform participants generate around $3 billion in annual earnings.
Transaction activity is also growing quickly. Gross transaction volume has been increasing at roughly 25% month over month, reflecting rising demand for digital commerce and more flexible income models.
The platform allows users to build communities, sell subscriptions, offer digital products and manage payments in a single ecosystem.
“With Tether’s investment, we’re accelerating our vision to build the world’s largest internet market – where anyone in the world can create, connect, and get paid instantly,” said Steven Schwartz, CEO & Co-Founder of Whop. “The next generation of business on the internet is global from day one, and payments need to move as freely as the internet itself. This partnership strengthens the financial backbone of our platform, aligning our infrastructure with a future where people can operate across the globe and build sustainable income – regardless of where they live or what currency they use.”
Why is Tether investing?
For Tether, the move is part of a broader effort to expand the use of stablecoins in everyday economic activity. Stablecoins such as USD₮ are digital tokens designed to track the value of the U.S. dollar, offering faster settlement compared to traditional banking rails.
As part of the partnership, Whop will integrate Tether’s Wallet Development Kit (WDK). This framework allows platforms to build self-custodial wallets directly into their systems. In simple terms, users can hold and control their own funds without relying entirely on third-party intermediaries.
The integration will give Whop users the option to transact in USD₮ and USA₮, enabling dollar-based digital payments, particularly in markets with slower or more expensive banking infrastructure.
